Pavan Peacock and other Yummy cocktails

[Niki Andiokno]

Hi all! Niki here. I have recently returned from a Fantastic F&W vacation to Walt Disney World. After driving all night from Chicago, we arrived at Boardwalk Villas on October 24 and stayed through November 1.

For those of you who haven't read my previous reports (I wouldn't blame you, I never finish) here are the players:

Niki - 40-something Disney nut. Full time lawyer, former bartender and pastry chef wanna-be. I am obsessed with food, both eating and cooking. My favorite foods are seafood and dark chocolate. I love all types of alcoholic beverages (except Gin) but my favorite is tequila. I find myself drinking a lot of wine on vacation. Disney is always better with a full tummy and head full of liquor. Here is my favorite selfie of the trip getting ready to play golf.



Mike - my DH of 24 years. He is truly an awesome Disney Travel Companion. He puts up with my Type A Commando style, dragging him from one end of WDW to another. His favorite foods are also seafood and dark chocolate, although he loves him some good pork. He is a WINO from the word go. He loves bold reds and dry whites. Once in awhile he will stray from the vino, but in his mind wine goes with everything. Here is my favorite photo of him.



I did a pre-trip report because I was so excited about my plans. I literally spent hours on the phone booking all our seminars and changing around our ADRs. We kept to the original plan for the most part, with a few changes. Here is what we did:

October 24 - Drive from Chicago to Orlando
Check in at BWV YAY!!!!
Lunch F&W Booths
Dinner at Olivia's Cafe

October 25 - Epcot
Breakfast Sunshine Seasons Food Fair
Demo - Alexander Valley Vineyards wine seminar
Lunch Big River Grill & Brew Works
Demo - Pavan Liqueur de France mixology seminar
Dinner at Chefs de France

October 26 - Animal Kingdom
Lunch Boardwalk Bakery
Dinner F&W Booths

October 27 - MGM
Breakfast Starring Rolls Bakery
Lunch at Nine Dragons
Demo - Brett Laude, Kona Café, Disney’s Polynesian Resort Pork
Demo - Dave Barrette, The Wave… of American Flavors, Duck
Dinner at La Hacienda with the LEGENDARY BARB (jabead)

October 28 - Magic Kindgdom
Breakfast - Gastons Tavern
Lunch - BOG
Dinner Il Mulino

October 29 - Golf in the morning
Breakfast Biegnets at Sassagoula Food Factory
Wine Wednesday at Jiko
Dinner - cooking for a CM friend Tarragon scallops, grilled citrus
salmon, ginger rice pilaf, spinach salad with strawberries and
asparagus and chocolate cake with chambord sauce
I LOVE to cook as much as eat.

October 30 - Golf in the morning
Demo - Terry Letson, fume Bistro and Bar, Napa, CA Halibut
Slushie Break Dismeet
Demo - Jerome Brown, Rome’s, Jersey City, NJ Pheasant
Dinner at Bluezoo with Barb

October 31 - More golf in the morning
Breakfast Fresh Market with Barb and her DH
Demo - Elizabeth Falkner, ElizabetheFalkner.com, Brooklyn, NY
Duck
Lunch F&W Booths
Demo - Marqués de Cáceres (Rioja, Spain) wine seminar
Swan/Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

November 1 - Parisian Breakfast at Chefs de France
Golf in the afternoon
Sassagoula Food Factory

That is what we did. Let's get this party started.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Day 1 Arrival

We left Chicago in the middle of traffic Thursday and drove all night. This was one of the longest trips we have driven, even though I was driving my new Dodge Charger R/T with the Hemi. I attempted to make up time in Georgia, but got pulled over by a police officer with the exact same car. He didn't give me a ticket, but all the time I made up in Tennessee was wasted by the police warning.

Unfortunately, I was crabby by the time I got to Boardwalk. Give me wine ASAP!!!! Our room was ready, so after dumping our luggage, we rushed over to Epcot for the Food & Wine festival.

I was in such a hurry to get my vino that I forgot my phone. Thus, no photos of these booths. I will try to describe what we had in detail. If anyone has photos I can borrow, let me know. I should have known that the best booths IMHO would be the ones we ate the whole trip. I have this thing where I never have my camera when I eat my favorite things.

The first booth we went to is my all time favorite, FRANCE. We ate and drank almost everything here.

■Tartelette aux escargots: Escargot tart with garlic, spinach, bacon and parmesan – I am not a snail fan, but I tasted it for the sake of tasting it. OK, very garlicky. Mike liked this new version, but he liked the little bread bowls from last year better.

■Gratin de crozet de savoie: Wheat pasta gratin with mushrooms and Gruyere cheese – LOVE THIS LOVE THIS LOVE THIS!! This dish was cheesy goodness. Everything mac n' cheese should be. The mushrooms were just a little extra bit of flavor.

■Boeuf bourguignon: Braised short ribs in cabernet with mashed potatoes – This is also very good. The beef was so tender. The mashed potatoes were really good, soaking up that beef juice. I really need to learn to make this. I wish it was on the Chefs de France menu.

■Crème brûlée caramel fleur de sel: Sea salt caramel crème brûlée topped with caramelized sugar – I wanted to love this. It embodies so many things I love. Sea salt caramel is one of my favorite things. Unfortunately, this totally failed for me. The flavor was OK, but the brulee was burned and the creme was soupy. I make creme brulee at home, so I understand how difficult it is to get the consistency right. I could have slurped this from the little tin, no spoon necessary. It was barely more than liquid.

■Chardonnay, Macon-Villages, La Côte Blanche – Excellent white wine. Not a big oak-y chardonnay. Very light and refreshing, with the right amount of tart on the finish. I instantly purchased a bottle to take home. Perfect for this hot afternoon.

■Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Château Bonnet – This paired perfectly with the beef. Full bodied and silky. I noted more cherry than I usually find in a Cab. This was one of my favorites all week.

Once we had something in our bellies, we were ready for one of our favorite activities in all of Epcot: Wine tasting at /vins de France. Since the experience was exactly the same as last time, with even the same servers, I will post my January photos here:





Two of the reds were favorites. I went back before we went home and purchased bottles for home. Here is what we purchased:



This was very fruity, almost jammy, but not sweet. Totally Yummo



This was a very light Pinot, but had a lot of flavor. Perfect red for a hot day.

As if this was not enough wine, we decided to split a white flight. I don't have a photo of this one, but only one of the three stood out enough to require the purchase of a bottle.



This had a sweet/tart taste that had a lot of citrus on the finish. This was very refreshing. It will pair perfectly with seafood or chicken. I can't wait to open this bottle at home.

By this time, I was getting a good buzz on. I needed more food.

Next booth BRAZIL!!!!

This was my other favorite booth from the F&W festival. With one exception, a couple days later, I should have stopped the booths right here. Just wonderful.

■Moqueca de Pescado – Regal Springs Fresh Tilapia featuring Coconut Lime Sauce and Steamed Rice – Let me begin by saying, I am not a Tilapia fan. To me it is pretty flavorless, so it has to be seasoned well. This was the ABSOLUTE BEST tilapia I have ever had. The Coconut Lime sauce brought a creaminess to the fish that was luscious. The like complemented it with a nice citrus kick. There was just enough pepper to add a bit of added fullness to the flavor.

■Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato, and Cilantro – Again, not a pork belly fan. Too much pork fat messes with me (as we will see later in the trip.) I was scared, but OMG, I should have ordered my own. This was meaty and fantastic. The beans were the perfect complement. The avocado perfectly cut the smokiness of the bacon belly. The salsa on top was fresh and lightened it up a bit. This was one of the best things I ate all week. Go figure.

■Carnaval Moscato Sparkling White Wine - this was perfectly sweet without being syrupy. Even Mike loved this, and he isn't a sweet wine fan.

■Monte Paschoal Reserve Tannat – This paired very well with the pork. I don't remember much about it other than I really liked it.

■Frozen Caipirinha featuring Leblon Cachaça – This had a great kick. After this, I couldn't take anymore alcohol. I just remember it was cold, sweet, frozen goodness.

After this, I went back to the room and passed out for a bit. I had driven the over-night shift. After my po po incident I couldn't sleep, so I needed a bit of rest before dinner at

OLIVIA'S CAFE

We love this place. It is a definate Must Do for us. The Old Key West resort is so relaxing. In fact, it is Mike's absolute favorite resort. Olivia's has a laid back feel, just like the resort. We snagged a booth and a Coke Zero, as neither of us could stomach any more liquor. Plus I am a Coke Zero Freak. Love this stuff. Our waitress was a beautiful Latina lady with long brown hair whose name I unfortunately don't recall. She was awesome, and kept our Zero refilled all night.

I tend to order seafood when I am out, since Chicago is inland and doesn't have great local fish. Notwithstanding, I have envied Mike's steak here for a long time. This trip, I insisted that I order the steak, no matter how much those scallops were calling my name. We both ordered the same thing.

Grilled New York Strip - served with Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Carrots, with a Ragout of Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Onions $29.99

We substituted Olivia's potatoes for the mashed.



This is a great deal for the price. Imagine, an excellent steak at Disney for under $30. The steak was a perfect medium rare inside, charred perfectly on the outside. We substituted the Olivia's potatoes instead of mashed. They are pure cheesy heaven. Not pulling strings cheesy, just a nice cheesy taste. The cheese is like a sweet mild cheddar. Yummy. The green beans are just an afterthought, probably frozen. But who cares? I got me some really good steak and cheesy spuds. Heaven for an Irish Midwestern girl.

Unfortunately, I was too stuffed for dessert. I love the banana bread sundae, but no room.

Next Update - Epcot All Day

 

[Princess Angi]

Cocktails are my favorite! I can't wait to read all about them!!!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Thanks for joining in Angi. Lots of tasty cocktails, but even more wine.

 

[wilma-bride]

Hi Niki I have been waiting patiently for you to start this, can't wait to read about your adventures

 

[Princess Angi]

I LOVE wine too!

 

[princess aleya]

Enjoying your review so far, can't wait to hear more. DH and I enjoy having wine at home and on vacation too, looking forward to seeing other wines you enjoyed on your trip.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Hi Niki I have been waiting patiently for you to start this, can't wait to read about your adventures

Hi Joh I hope to get installment 2 out tomorrow night. Working late, so just taking a bit of a break to say Howdy.

I LOVE wine too!

Lots and lots of wine here. I brought home six bottles of wines that I couldn't find at any local stores.

Enjoying your review so far, can't wait to hear more. DH and I enjoy having wine at home and on vacation too, looking forward to seeing other wines you enjoyed on your trip.

I have photos of the bottles that I thought were the best, so I could purchase them at home. Except for the ones in the France Pavilion and Booth, almost all of them are available throughout the US. Maybe you will like some of my reviewed wines enough to try them at home. I see you have a trip in December. The three bottles photographed above are really good for the price points.

Coming up tomorrow, Alexander Vinyards wine seminar, Pavan French Liquor mixology seminar, various F&W booths and Chefs de France.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

This was our first full day at WDW. With Soarin' Fastpass in hand, we headed out to Epcot. We entered through International Gateway after power walking from BWV. The first walk would be our first of many, until we just couldn't walk anymore. One note: The walk from BWV to Epcot is nice, but when you want to get to Future World early, it can get to be tedious. It took a few days, but eventually the walk got to me. But not this day!!!!

After Soarin', we had a bit of time until our next FP. We hadn't had breakfast, so we decided to try Sunshine Seasons. We shared the Breakfast Panini - Eggs, bacon, roast pork, and cheese served with breakfast potatoes.



This was OK. It was a really large portion, more than enough for us to share. The taste was pretty bland. The pulled pork had no particular flavor and was a bit dry. The eggs were pretty flavorless. The dominant flavor was the dried Italian herbs on top of the foccacia bread. This sandwich was a bit off-putting to me. In Chicago, especially at Addison where I live, there are pannini places everywhere. A pannini is a pressed sandwich, kinda like a grilled cheese with good stuff piled in between. This was a sandwich on foccacia bread, not a pannini to me. Maybe this is just a thing in my neighborhood? Dunno, but this was not a pannini to me. It looked good, so I got it anyway. Unfortunately, it was pretty bland. Filling though.

DH is a big pastry guy. He loves a croissant. We got a chocolate croissant as well.



Sorry so blurry. I was hurrying because I was hungry.

This was OK. I think chocolate croissants at Disney are set up to fail for us. There are French nuns that have bakeries near us that make croissants that are like a little piece of heaven. God has certainly blessed these pastries. This croissant did not live up to the soul saving French sisters' pastries, so nothing special to us.

Going to walk my dogs quick. The Doberman Strider has to go out. More when I return.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

At noon, we had our first demo of the festival. Alexander Valley wineries from California.

I like Alexander Valley wines. I have been to a wine dinner at a local restaurant featuring their wines. Here is the presenter, who we also saw in Chicago suburbs.

In fact, he lives there because he can't stand to be with his father in California. At least that is what he claimed in is spiel.



We were given three wines, two reds and a white.


The first was the Alexander Valley Chardonnay. This was good. One thing I liked about this seminar was that he told us what vintage was good. Have you ever had a wine out at a restaurant or seminar, seen it at your local store, purchased and it tasted yucky? That is probably because the first one was a different year than at the local Target. This was a 2013 vintage, the only year he suggests you purchase. At least he was honest enough to say the other years weren't as good. This was an un-oaked Chardonnay, if I recall. Very light.



Next up was the cabernet. It was a heavy cab, which I like. Lots of chocolate flavor. Very nice to get a good sniff going on. I just stuck my nose in the glass and breathed it all in. Get years 2012, 2013 or 2014. 2012 is his favorite.


He definately saved the best for last. This is an old vine zinfindel his mother named Sin Zin because she says the taste is absolutely sinful. Boy is she right!! This zin was decadent. Great legs, sexy flavor, cherry, chocolate and luscious. This was my favorite of the day. This is not sold under the Alexander Valley Vinyard label, but it is theirs nonetheless.


Of course it was my favorite. The photo is horrible.

Overall, this was a good seminar. I keep debating whether or not the wine seminars are worth it. Reviewing this again, I believe this was.

I almost forgot, he gave us a bit of chocolate to accompany our delicious wine.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Our plan was to have lunch at the booths, but that was not happening. Every line was horrible. World Showcase was JAM PACKED!!. UGH!! So we walked along World Showcase, pushing our way through crowds, walking back to BW. By now we had walked off all our breakfast and were ready for lunch. The walk and heat were getting to us, so a nice cold beer and some air conditioning were in order.

Head to Big River Grill & Brew Works.

We like this place for a nice relaxing lunch. The beer is cold and the burgers big. We started out with a beer sampler.



Sorry I am such a bad photographer. I only have my Galaxy phone, and I don't have a steady hand. I may also have been a bit intoxicated, as it seems I was drinking the entire vacation. If my bad photos get too much, just remember that is exactly how I was seeing the world, in a drunken haze.

Mike really likes the mushroom burger here. It was big and juicy. We both love the garlic mashed potatoes here, so he subbed that instead of fries. I know, mashed spuds with a burger? Heck yeah!



I just realized the bun looks bigger than the burger in this photo. That is a complete lie. Our chef seemed to be seeing the world a bit crooked as well, as about 1/3 of the burger was hanging over the bun. That was a big chunk o' meat, no worries.

Believe it or not, I am not a big bread person. I much prefer an entree over a sandwich. I love the blackened Mahi Mahi here. It is served with chipotle mayo that I love. I just don't like the bun, so I ask for it without. For the price, this is a nice size piece of fish that would cost twice as much at many other Disney restaurants. This time it was a little saltier than normal, but the spice was nice. With the chipotle mayo this carries quite the kick. Of course, I subbed the garlic mashed for fries as well. This was one great lunch.



After this, we needed a bit of a break in the room to refresh for our 6 p.m. Pavan Liquor mixology seminar.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

For the second time that day, we walked from the farthest end of BWV to the International Gateway all the way to the Festival Center at the complete opposite end of Epcot. This time for the Pavan Liquor mixology seminar.




This is a beautiful bottle, based on a peacock. Pavan is a very sweet liquor that has a hint of orange blossom flavor. It is made from hand-harvested Petit Muscat grapes from the South of France. Before the grapes ferment, turning them into wine, they are mixed with a grape-based spirit (which our speaker wouldn't really disclose when asked), then aged for two years in oak casks. To finish it off, a bit of orange blossem from the Mediterranean was thrown in.

Let me say this is a very, very, very sweet liquor. It is like a grand marnier in many ways, but even sweeter. I really liked it as a shot alone. I could see this as an after dinner drink to sip while chatting with family and friends. The presenter had other ideas. He was totally cute and loved his job. He was a mixer fo' sho.



Since the drinks were strong, we were given pretty peacock fans.



This was the Best Souvinier Ever! I used it to cool myself all week.

Anyway, back to the cocktails. We were give three. I was a bit disappointed in what we were served. Each was given in a small glass without ice. Every one was supposed to be an iced drink. One was supposedly best frozen. Our drinks were warm. Super sweet warm drinks on a hot day were not good. The cocktails were yummy flavored, but needed ice. Each table had pitchers of ice water. My husband is so smart. He decided to put ice from the pitcher in the drink after the first sip or two. Much much much much better. Here is what we had:




First is the Pavan Rose Sangria. This was very nice. You have to use a dry rose' so it's not too sweet. He suggested that this could even be served frozen. I could totally see that, though not typical for sangria. Don't have a pic. Sorry.


Here is the Pavan Mint Julep. I have to say, I wasn't impressed. It had apricot nectar, which I don't care for. I am not a mint julep fan, either. This was awefully sweet, too. The big biker dude behind me was really starting to get riled, as he was totally not into sweet. And this was sweet!

Finally, the Peacock Swizzle. This was Pavan, White Rum, Lime Juice, Blackberries, Maple Syrup and Rosemary. This was purple goodness.



Although this is a very sweet liquor, I liked it. I could totally see using this in my chocolate souflee instead of grand marnier. And a great fan to use while watching the Los Lonely Boys concert.
Anyway, this

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Chefs de France!! This place has been an "on again, off again" restaurant for us for years. The past couple of trips, it has been great. A couple before that not as great. For now, it is a favorite. The pre fixe menu is a really great deal. Decent French food for $40? You will never see a special like that near me.

First, a little vino. Here is a bottle of the third wine we had in the Vins de France tasting. This bottle was sitting right next to me.



I don't remember the labels for what we drank, but I had a very nice sauvignon blanc and Mike had a cabernet. The wine list here is pretty good. I really should have taken a photo of the wine list. I am still getting the hang of this food porn thing. Although I think this is more like liquor porn.



We both started out with the French Onion Soup. This was a wierd part of dinner. The bread lover only had one crouton in his French Onion Soup. Absolutely perfecto. I had this.



Six whole pieces of bread in my soup. There wa so much crouton I couldn't get a bite of soup without it. So I proceeded to remove all but one piece of bread from my soup, giving them to DH and putting some on the side of the plate. The mountains of crouton were a bit off-putting. Once I removed the offending mound of bread, I adored the soup. The beef broth is fabulous. The onions are so sweet they are almost caramel tasting. The gruyere cheese, my favorite, was divine. Aside from the bread, this is my favorite french onion soup.

Next were the entrees. I ordered the salmon. Since January, I had been dreaming of the salmon here. DH had it and I had plate envy. Big juicy salmon on top of smashed potatoes, on top of a tomato and roasted pepper sauce. Unfortunately, this was no longer on the menu. Nonetheless, I ordered the new, probably healthier, version of salmon. This version is not on the online menu, so I will try to describe. It was broiled salmon, a bit rare in the center, sitting on a stew of legumes (possibly lentils) with onion, carrots and grape tomatoes.



This was a very different presentation. It tasted really nice, with a full flavor that I couldn't pin down. Not nearly as decadent as the previous presentation, but very good and very filling. I couldn't finish but half of it. Luckily for me, it was just as good left over for breakfast the next day. I know, salmon for breakfast and it isn't even lox.

Last year I had the beef short ribs. DH had plate envy of my entree. This year, he got the ribs. Plat de Cote de Boeuf au Cabarnet avec pates - Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet, pearl onions and mushrooms. This presentation was also different. The ribs were served over polenta. He liked this better than he would have the pasta it was served with last trip. He isn't trained well enough yet about waiting for photos.



He really liked this and was happy with his choice.

We both saved room for dessert. I had the Assiette de sorbets du jour - Daily assortment of fresh sorbets. There was raspberry, pineapple/coconut and mango. I always secretly made fun of people who ordered sorbet for dessert. I thought they were crazy to get ice cream when there were other things like creme brulee and chocolate cake to order. I was wrong. I am so sorry for anyone who was smarter than me and ordered sorbet for dessert. I discovered my error last trip and will never say no to sorbet again. This is delicious. The madelaine was wonderful. The sorbet and fruit were outstanding. Sweet, tart, cold and totally worth saving room for.

Mike had the Fraisier sur coulis de framboise, sorbet fraise - fresh strawberry and cream cake, raspberry sauce and strawberry sorbet. He is a sucker for strawberries, so this is right up his alley. Nummy!



This time I was the impatient one who couldn't wait.

Day 2 was a great day at Epcot, but it was very busy. Next time, I think I will skip Epcot on a Saturday for the golf course instead. Every bite was worth it though.

 

[Princess Angi]

Did he tell you the best vintage on the sinew vin? Sounds right up my alley! When my kids are gone I am totally doing all these fun tastings. Untill then I have to live though the Dis......give me more!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Did he tell you the best vintage on the sinew vin? Sounds right up my alley! When my kids are gone I am totally doing all these fun tastings. Untill then I have to live though the Dis......give me more!

He didn't say a particular year that I recall. I thought he said they are all good. I guess this is a recent addition to their lineup. My photo is blurry, but the bottle is pretty cool looking. Pick some up for home.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

So Sunday we decided to head to Animal Kingdom. I love the feel of this park. It is so green. The lush plant life takes the theming of this park over the top for me.

We were running a bit late, and power walked to our first FP, Expedition Everest. This is my favorite ride, since it is such a unique coaster. The view from the top is so cool. We get there, and the ride is down. I was told we could come back later and use it, but our schedule was now a bit off. If anyone read my pre-trippie, you know I wanted to make it back to the resort to watch da Bears attempt to play football. We made it to our Safari FP and went back to Asia to do our last FP, Kali River Rapids. Kali was also down.

I needed a drink STAT! Who cares if it is only 11 a.m. I had been looking forward to a pina colada at the Dawa Bar since January. So I dragged DH back to Africa in search of the only good pina colada in the entire world. We get there and I am slammed again. NO MORE PINA COLADA. So I took a look at the new drink menu that did not include a single frozen concoction. Sorry so blurry.



I chose the Lost on Safari - a mixture of rum and Pangani juice, which is like the Jungle Juice at Boma. I got it without the special mug, and it cost only $8.75. This was pretty tasty, but had a bit too much syrup in it. Very sweet. Good, but certainly doesn't compare to the lost pina colada. After this last disappointment, I was able to ride Everest.

Da Bears have not had a good season. DH suggested we stay in the park and try Yak n Yeti. I was begrudgingly in agreement, and a little miffed that I had previously cancelled my ADR for around the same time once the football schedule had come out. DH went in search of a smoking section and I went to see if we could get in for lunch. The wait would be about 20 minutes so I signed up and waited, waited and waited. DH wasn't coming back and wasn't answering his phone. Our name hadn't been called, but I was starting to panic. Finally DH came back and was Apparently all of the smoking sections the cast members directed him to had been removed. There seemed to be only one smoking section in the entire park, behind Pizzafari. That was all the way on the other side of the park. So he was not willing to wait even one more minute for Yak n Yeti. He wanted a smoke and wanted out!!

We walked out, but by this time it was almost 2. I was starving. I grabbed one of my favorite snacks, jalapeno stuffed pretzel. Yummy!! This was my half. These things are huge.



So back to BWV to try to get into good ole' ESPN Zone. Unfortunately, ESPN was packed. We couldn't even get in to stand at the bar as the restaurant was at capacity. UGH!! Someone had told me that Shula's was serving lunch during football season, so I called Disney Dining to check it out. We just couldn't walk anywhere else only to be disappointed again. When I called, Disney Dining told me that Shula's was not open for lunch. (I found out later that week DD was wrong and Shula's had all the games on TV. Double bummed)

So we stopped at the Boardwalk Bakery. This was also a fail. I had:


Mixed Greens with Herb Grilled Chicken Breast - Dried Cranberries, Goat Cheese, and Apples with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Everything about this salad was bitter. Sad to say that the cranberries were the sweetest thing about this salad. The greens were bitter. The goat cheese (which I typically love) was sour. The apples were particularly tart granny smith (which I typically like as well), and the dressing was super sour and vinegary. Even the chicken seemed to be drenched in lime juice, even though that wasn't mentioned in the description. All in all this was a really bad salad.

DH had a Roast Beef - Provolone, Tomatoes, Lettuce with Honey Mustard Horseradish on a Kaiser Roll. This was a pretty good sandwich, but the horseradish was a little odd tasting according to DH. The amount of meat on it was hefty, which was a plus.

Finally, we had a cheesecake brownie.



I know, we just can't wait to try the sweets. This used to be a favorite, must do every trip. DVC Magazine published the recipe for this many years ago, so I bake this at home often. The recipe tasted exactly like the BW Bakery. Until now. I don't know if the refurb had anything to do with it, but this was very different. First of all, this was a much smaller portion that before. Second, the cheesecake was very thin compared to the brownie part. The brownie wasn't as rich chocolate flavor as it was before. This was just not the cheesecake brownie I knew and loved. It was good, but that was it.

After watching highlights seeing my team get killed, we walked over to Epcot again to watch another great Los Lonely Boys concert or three.

In between sets, we snagged a few booths. My photos aren't that good again, as it was getting dark and my flash wasn't working. Here is what we got:

Patagonia - we ordered one of everything

Beef empanada - this was the best thing at the booth. Boy was it big and filled with flavorful beef.



Grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato purée - this was OK, but the beef had a weird texture. It was very tender, almost too tender. It didn't seem like the steak was grilled. The taste was good, but a bit salty.



Roasted Verlasso salmon with quinoa salad and arugula chimichurri - this was pretty good, but nothing outstanding. The salmon had a good flavor and wasn't fishy tasting. The quinoa salad was nice contrast to the salmon and added a lot of texture. The arugula chimichurri was flavorful, but my friend Kristie makes it better so I was not impressed. Overall a good dish, but not special



Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut – No photo, but this was good and dry. Again, very refreshing.
Terrazas Reserva Malbec – this was nice. we get it at home all the time. Catena malbec is better though IMHO, even though the price point is only a couple bucks more
Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier - this was my favorite of the three. It had a bit of a bite to it that was very refreshing. Also, it had a lot of citrus for a Viognier.
Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir Rosé - This was also good, but not great. It was not sweet, which was a plus. I thought it was a bit young though.


Next was China. Beijing Roasted Duck in Hoisin Sauce. Duck Duck Duck. Love me some duck. This was OK, but the duck was a bit tough and definately overcooked. The hoisin sauce was nothing more than you would get in a bottle from your local Asian mart.



I save the best food, and the worst photos, for last. I am posting these photos not to show you how good the food looks, but how I can't seem to take a pic of food I really like.

Next up Singapore - Lemongrass chicken curry with coconut and jasmine rice - This was amazing. I love jasmine rice. It is just like eating flowers, the bouquet of the rice is so strong. Good savory flowers. Yummy. The curry was a bit spicy, but toned down enough to feed the masses. The chicken was very tender and juicy. The coconut milk made a gravy that pulled this dish all together. This was one of my favorite dishes at any booth.



Seared mahi mahi with jasmine rice and “Singa” sauce – this was also really good. The mahi was buttery and sweet. The sauce was a great balance and added flavor to the fish. Light and beautiful dish.



Singapore was a big hit. This was the last of the booths that I think will be a must do next year if it returns. This was sooo good.

That ends Day 3 - Lots of disappointments, but it ended with a great Asian suprise in Singapore.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Day 4 was pretty busy. We walked our way to DHS. It started out Great for me. Our first FP was Toy Story Mania, where I proceeded to kick butt. I had the 2nd highest score of the day. I know it was only 10 a.m., but for me that was real excitement. I just had to share.

Right after TSM, we had to get a breakfast snack. DH loves all things pastry, so we headed over to Starring Rolls Bakery. This never disappoints. I got my favorite, Cherry Danish. This was buttery and sweet and filled with cherries. Yes, you could get a whole cherry in every bite. No jelly jelly for me. Tons of fruit. Just look at all those marvelous sweet cherries.



DH got a chocolate croissant. This was also very good. Not earth shattering blessed by God good, but we are getting closer and closer to heaven with every chocolate croissant we order. This had a nice dark chocolate inside.



We finished our FP for ToT and RnRC, I did a few single rider RnRC, we wandered around the park a bit, I did Star Tours and we watched the Pirates of the Caribbean show. I swear the special effects were so good, I couldn't tell if Jack Sparrow was right in front of me, or if it was a hologram. At some point we grabbed a snack. Best snack in the World IMHO. My first Mickey Bar of the trip.



After all the rides and walking, we were hungry. It was finally 11. Well, a little after 11, as I kinda got caught up in looping the coaster. This was a mistake. We had been waiting for one of our favorite lounges to open, Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge. Unfortunately, by 11:15, the place was PACKED!! We went to grab a table and discovered a 40 minute wait!! I guess everyone has discovered the wonderful mussels, duck tacos and sliders, because I have never ever seen a wait here. I guess my martini tasting would not happen. So what do we do for lunch? We are not big fans of any of the other food options at DHS, so we grabbed a boat to Epcot.

On the ride over, I checked to see what was available. We kept thinking how we had not been to Nine Dragons since it was rehabbed several years ago. Plus, the really good Chinese places near my house had closed or gone buffet. I don't get to Chinatown as often as I liked, so Nine Dragons sounded like a plan.

The food here was good. Not exceptional or great, but pretty darn good. We shared three dishes. My photos are really bad again, so it must have been pretty good. We had them bring all three things out at once. We had Honey-Sesame Chicken - Honey-sesame chicken. This was fried chicken with honey sauce. You could taste the honey, which was good. I am not a big fan of fried chicken dishes, but DH really liked this. My pic is so embarrassingly bad, I won't even show you. Suffice it to say, this was a pretty big portion of chicken that was sufficiently glazed with sweet honey. Next we had these, but I can't find them on any menu.


The were kind of like Sio Pao, but not. They were steamed buns with duck inside. The slaw served on the side was fabulous, sweet and tangy. I love vinegar based slaw. I am still a bit confused by the way Disney serves steamed buns. I travel to Asia often, eat dim sum in Chinatown in Chicago, and make steamed buns from scratch at home. Typically, Asian steamed buns are not like tacos, with the bread folded over taco style and meat inside. Every steamed bun I have had outside Disney has been a circular bun with slightly sweet bread on the outside and meat stuffed inside. Disney buns were all taco style. It just seemed weird to me. The duck in this bun was really good. There was a lot of duck stuffed inside. This was much more filling than we could imagine. Very nice.

Finally, we shared the best thing we had. Egg rolls. I am fussy about my egg rolls, and these were excellent. They were large, had lots of stuffing and plenty of shrimp in the stuffing. Totally Yummy.



I would have been happy just eating these.

Up next were a couple of culinary demos. Each demo gave you a small serving of what the chef was cooking, as well as a nice pour of a paired wine. We really ordered too much at Nine Dragons, as we had these demos coming up and a great dinner planned at La Hacienda. But being the little piggies we are, we enjoyed every bite.

First up was Bret Laude of the Kona Cafe.



His dish was Curry Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Puree and Cranberry Chutney. I was leery about this, as I am not a sweet potato or cranberry fan. I loves me some Pork Tenderloin though. This was AMAZING!!!!

Here is Bret telling us about the dish.


Here is the lovely presentation.


The taste was awesome. The pork had just a hint of curry, was very moist and the perfect cooked temperature. The sweet potatoes were good, and the pork tasted good dipped in the sweet potato. The cranberry chutney was so good. It was sweet, yet tart, and held the real fruit consistency. No jelly stuff here. I liked this so much, I will make it to accompany Thanksgiving Dinner. If I could convince my family, I would make this entire dish for Thanksgiving. Except for turkey, it had all the comfort food feeling of the holiday. It was paired with a Julia's Valley Pinot Noir from Cambria Winery that paired perfectly. I like Pinot Noir and really love that it is in favor right now.


Overall, this was a very good demo for food I can't wait to try at home.

I will need to continue in the next post, I think.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

The next culinary demo was Dave Barrette of the Wave. This demo makes me want to try the Wave. I only wish this dish was on the menu.

Seared Long Island Duck Breast with Pommes Puree and Huckleberry Bourdelaise Reduction.


This was paired with a Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc. This was my first Fume Blanc and I really liked it. Very light and refreshing. It surprised me that such a light wine could pair so well with the duck. I usually think Pinot Noir or Bourjolais, not a white. This was a pleasant pairing.

This is the fabulous duck.


This tasted FABULOUS!!!! The duck was just barely over medium rare, which is really good considering they are feeding a large volume of people this dish. The Pommes Puree was decadent, with tons of buttery and creamy goodness. Although the recipe we received didn't include mascarpone cheese, Dave told us to add a bit to kick up the flavor. Boy, did it ever. The glazed Cippolini onions were sweet and heavenly. He tipped us off to adding a bit of Ice Wine vinegar to the sweet onions. Just WOW. The Huckleberry Bourdelaise was good as well, but I didn't even need it. What cracked me up was the single purple little carrot under it all. Really cool. I love purple.

One thing I liked about this demo was that the chef gave us his "little secrets" to make the dish spectacular. Only a few of the chefs at these demos have done that. The tips are always what take the dish over the top. Also, I love how he explained specifically how to perfectly render the duck skin, which has always been tricky for me. I do a pretty good job at home. but I am certain I will be more consistent after his tips. If you go to any of these seminars, make sure you have your pen handy for the little tidbits of wisdom.

After the demo, we wandered about a bit trying to walk off our food and wine coma before dinner at my all time favorite restaurant at Epcot, La Hacienda. We had the pleasure of our first meal with Barb (jabead) the Fabulous. She is so sweet, and we had a fantastic time on our first meal with her here.

I love tequila, and hadn't drunk any since our arrival. I Needed a Margarita. I felt in a classic mood, so I ordered an original. It was really good. I like the margaritas here on the rocks. This was salty and tangy and yummo.


We started out with chips and salsa. I rarely eat this at home, because DH is not a big fan of chips and salsa, and we rarely eat Mexican food out. I was so excited about the chips, Barb must have thought she had just met a crazy woman. The red salsa was a bit hot, but not too bad. The green salsa was milder, with a tomatillo flavor I think. Here is my aweful photo of the wonderful, salty crunch goodness.



DH and I always spit the same dish here, Parrillada - Del Mar- Mixed grill offering shrimp, fish, scallops and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas. The fish is mahi mahi, and absolutely fantastic. The shrimp and scallops are huge. The corn has a bit of a bite to it from the lime and cheese on top. The grilled veggies are squash, zucchini, a big green onion and regular onion. This dish is to die for. It is not your everyday Americanized Tex Mex. This is flavorful grilled seafood.



Check out how plentiful that plate is. Those scallops are humongous. This really should be for at least three people, not two. We always have leftovers. You also get beans and rice. We always choose the black beans, and are never disappointed. Just love them.


We had at least half of this left over for a post-golf lunch later in the week, and had a hard time finishing it off. I also took the chips with me. At this point, I was surprised Barb wasn't making fun of me like Mike typically does. I know, I am the only person who actually takes home leftover chips. Sad, but true.

We had a great time getting to know Barb. The food was great. The company excellent. We saw Illuminations as we walked back to BWV. Day 4 was a really really great day.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Day 5 was a day I was really looking forward to. I was finally going to get into Belle's Castle and eat lunch at Be Our Guest. Our reservation was really early, between 10:30 and 11:00. We tried to make it as late as possible, so after a ride with Ariel, we made our way to the check-in counter. We still had to wait in line, but it wasn't too bad. I actually enjoyed the wait because we were right next to the suits of armour. I love to look at armour, but am always suprised at how small the knights were. I will guess that these are not antiques, but made by Disney Imagineering. Still, they were really close to the same size as those I have seen at the Art Institute of Chicago. Just beautiful. The procedure was pretty easy to confirm our order, and we were off to find a seat. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get a "rose", but they found us anyway. Magic Bands, I guess.

On to the food. The good, the bad and the The good - French Onion Soup. DH and I both got this. It was hot, with only one crouton and tons of cheese. There were plenty of onions that were perfectly done. The cheese was gooey and tasted really nice. I suspect that there was some swiss and gruyere in there. The broth was not as rich as Le Chefs de France, but it was tasty.


We then shared the Braised Pork - slow-cooked pork with vegetables and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beens jardiniere

This looks really really good. It brings back memories of my Grandmother's cooking. She was a pretty bad cook. The green beans were OK, but seemed to be from frozen. The mashed potatoes were excellent, and way too good to be on the plate with the rest. That was the best part of the plate. Now on to the bad and . The pork didn't taste bad, it was just really fatty. It was a bit greasy, but pretty bland otherwise. Again, it didn't taste bad, just not good. As I was leaving the restaurant, I didn't even make it out of the front door before I started feeling sick to my stomach. Let's just say I spent the next half hour in the bathroom. Just like after eating pork roast at Grandma's house. I felt bad for another hour. I was so disappointed. I really really wanted to love this place. Unfortunately, it just made me sick.

Before I left, I just couldn't get out without taking this. Even if I am sick.


I will get on Il Mulino tomorrow.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Dear Readers, if you are out there, here is my remake of my Il Mulino report. I had a wonderful report completed on November 24, right before I left for Charleston South Carolina. Unfortunately, when I attempted to post it, it deleted. So, while it will not be as good as the original, here goes.

We arrived at Il Mulino ready to order some great wine and food. I love the decor here. Dim lighting and lots of brass. Very relaxing. I started out with one of my favorite wines, Antinori Toscana. Last year, the waiter suggested this as a good red wine to go with the Dentice (swordfish with white wine and olives). I absolutely love this. One can just taste the vanilla and chocolate. Antinori Toscana has to be one of my absolute favorite wines. Just perfect. Mike started out with a glass of Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. He said this was good, but it was not one of his favorites.

We started out with the best amuse busche ever, grilled eggplant and sausages. I love this eggplant, which is served cold. It goes well on the bread service, but I could eat it alone as an entree. This is wonderful stuff. I am not a sausage person, but this I like very much. It is sweet and salty and savory, but not fatty. This is tasty sausage.



Speaking of bread service, this one is special. There is a foccacia with tomatoes and a sourdough bread. The foccacia is very soft, warm and tasty. The sourdough is good as well, perfect to soak up the olive oil and cheese on the table.



Next came and appetizer. We chose Cozze o Vongole - Clams with Spicy Fra Diavolo. This was excellent. The sauce was spicy and had a hint of garlic and wine. The clams were sweet, tender and tasted very fresh. The sauce was da bomb!! If the linguini fra diavolo had this sauce on it, I would certainly order it. I checked, though. Our waiter said that the sauce was a bit different on the pasta. Last time Mike ordered it, the diavolo sauce was very plain. This sauce, however, had a lot of spice and tomato and garlic and wine and just a touch of cream. I can't tell you enough about the deliciousness of this stuff. If you like shellfish, I highly recommend this dish. Although the photo doesn't show it, we got a huge helping of these clams. This is about half eaten already. Sorry, but the flavorful smell of the sauce was entrancing that I just dug in.



Next up, more vino. I had another glass of the Antinori Toscana with my entree. This stuff goes with everything. I have had it with both pesce and pasta, and it has paired equally well with both. My beloved Dentice was not on the menu, so time to try something else. I chose something similar, and equally as scrumptious. Cernia - Seared Grouper with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, Pancetta and White Wine served over Broccoli Rabe. This was wonderful. The fish was a large piece and very firm. The pancetta was perfectly salty and the wine garlic sauce was heavenly. I enjoyed every bite.



Mike had the Costolette Di Maiale - Pork Chop with Cherry Vinegar Peppers and Mushrooms. OMG Awesome Pork Chop. This is a very thick cut chop, so it was very juicy. This also came with roasted potatoes that were just divine. I feel lucky Mike allowed me a taste. This is last year's photo, as this years didn't come out.



Finally, as if we weren't stuffed enough, we went for dessert. By this time, my phone was out of charge so I didn't get a photo. Yet a photo can't possibly show the wonders inside a Tartufo. This is one of the best desserts EVER EVER EVER!!!! TOTALLY YUMMO!!!! Imagine a big dark red brandied cherry inside a big ball of Zabiglione flavored Gelato, then dipped in rich dark chocolate with creamy zabiglione on the side. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!! I believe I finished this off with, you guessed it, another glass of Antinori Toscana. I swear, the wine bill equalled or even surpassed the food bill. Thank goodness TIW includes alcohol.

Our wait staff was excellent. We had two servers, who were spot on with suggestions about the wine list, menu and drink refills. One waiter brought the check. Mike was dying for a cigarette, so we put down cash and headed out. As I passed the bit vat of limoncello, I realized that we didn't get any. This is very good limoncello, so I wasn't going to let this slide. Typically, the waiter will bring a bucket filled with limoncello and glasses to you at the end of the meal. I bet since we plunked down cash, he didn't have time to bring it to us. Still, he should have brought it before the bill. As we exited, I asked the hostess if the guests still got limoncello at the end. She said yes. When I told her we didn't get any, she sat us down on a comfy couch in the lounge and brought us each a glass. Shortly after, the manager came out and offered us another glass and dessert. I was genuinely surprised at her offer, as the only thing we missed was the free apartif at the end of the meal. The rest of the service was really good. As we were full, and a bit tipsy, we declined her generous offer. Notwithstanding, this was a great gesture.

Overall, we still love this restaurant. Mike wants to skip it next trip, but this is one of my favorites. We will debate this before next trip, LOL.